The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1887-04-14
tOhio Farmer.1
Grapes.

Last summer | wanted to learn
something about grapes, and so in
fruiting time | went to where they
were grown The first place | visited
was that Of an Englishman-a car
penter owns lot in Dayton, and who
twenty years ago bought one Clinton
plant which is now large thrifty
vine loaded with fine ripe fruit. The
care of this one vine interested him in
fruit culture, and now has grape trel
lises run in various directions through
his lot, stakes for grapes, arbors near
the house and outhouses, chicken run
and shaded walks, all covered with
grapevines, many of which are yearly
loaded with clusters of fruit He had
an assortment of the leading varieties
and l could readily select several that
| wanted.
In speaking Of vines he said: Il
have no greater pleasure throughout
the year than, after my days work in
the heat is done, to come here and get
some choice clusters Of cool luscious
grapes and enjoy them in the shade
with my family. We have worked
for each other until we are warm
friends, and l enjoy their company at
all times Of the year
From here I went into the most
crowded part Of the city to see the
vineyard of German. 1t deserves
the name vineyard, because it occu-
pies all his back yard-a space about
3Ox4O feet This was neatly laid out
in rows with walk on either side and
across each end. The grapes were
trained to low trellises. Many of the
vines had large punches of fruit en-
closed in small muslin sacks, to pro-
tect the fruit from rot or mildew. A
shed-roofed kitchen was built against
the east end of the house. On the
north side of this was large Clinton
vine which covered the north wall of
the kitchen. Along this same side of
the kitchen roof and extending some
four feet above it was trellis work
covered with another variety Of grape
grated on the Clinton vine. The
east gable Of the main building, just
above the shed roof, also supported
trellis work loaded with Bacchus
grapes, which variety was grated on
the Clinton On the shed roof were
small, neat boxes with dirt in them
through which ran branches Of the
main vine which were laid in the
ground for the purpose of roofing.
This one vine of Clinton was supply
ing shade, vines for planting, and six
varieties Of fruit. In his small yard
the owner has grown ia varieties of
fruit in one year. He had, just at the
time of my visit, returned from tie
Ohio State Fair with seven premiums
on grapes, having been awarded the
first premium on several varieties and
the second ON collection of twenty
varieties.
The seven acres that | am cultivat-
ing sometimes seems too small, but
after seeing the places of these two
men and the large quantities of excel
lent fruit they were raising, asked
myself whether 1t would not be well
to thoroughly cultivate what [ have.
At the September meeting of the
Montgomery county farmers club l
was quoted as saying, Some of the
grape growers in Miami county, o.,
lay the grapevines down in fall and
cover them with rails" Rather an
expensive and impracticable way of
giving winter protection, is it not?
J. P. Johnson, Esq, of Piqua, O.,
trims his vines in November, lays the
vines on the ground with the tops of
two rows together (the rows are eight
feet apart in his vineyard) and places
on these one continuous row of rails
to hold the vines near the ground. He
says that by this method he has not
had a single failure in winter protec-
tion for twenty years. His vineyard
is not much above the level Of the
Miami River, a location not generally
thought favorable by grape growers.
1t is question whether this meth
cd would be so successful south of the
line of snow protection, which | be-
lieve passes east and west through
Miami conuty.
THEo. F. LoNGENEoKER.
Dayton, 0.